NEWS, NOTES & ARCHIVES

Colombia - November, 2001
In my ten years of buying and selling organic coffees, we have seen a significant number of organic coffees from Colombia available with remarkable inconsistency. This is especially unusual for an origin as important and consistent as Colombia. Our current coffee comes from the Bucaramanga region which has all the attributes we look for in a great organic coffee. First, it is certified organic. Second, it cups great. (See Jim's Tasting Notes below) And third, it comes with a story of not just producing great organic coffee, but producing it in a way where it respects the species (both plant and animal) in and around the farms. Brew a cup and read on…

From a small, private finca (farm) in Colombia’s Bucaramanga region, comes "Mesa de los Santos". This coffee provides all the richness and depth which makes Colombian coffee famous. Optimum control is exercised over the productive cycle at the coffee farm where "Mesa de los Santos" is produced.

Control starts with the preparation of the seeds and the production of organic fertilizer and ends with personalized attention that Jim’s Organic Coffee™ puts into it, and into all our coffees. The key to the success of this special coffee is found by looking to the past.

Traditional processes used by Colombian farmers at the beginning of the century to cultivate the coffee plants are used by the farm that produces "Mesa de los Santos." Everything is 100% ecological: coffee is planted in high clean lands, under natural shade, irrigated with pure spring water and no chemicals are used, only natural fertilizers.

Oswaldo Acevedo, representative of the production firm, Telmo J. Díaz and Company states, "Our work philosophy is based on producing an organic coffee of insuperable qualities, based on a perfect symbiosis between nature and man."

"Mesa de los Santos" coffee grows in a perfect climate that gives it its unique taste and smell.

The rising water levels of the streams and the growing presence of birds, insects, reptiles and mammals is due to the thousands of native trees on the farm. The trees protect the coffee plants from the scorching sun and control humidity, and are home to a great variety of migrating and resident birds, which in turn control the presence of harmful insects.

Dark Billed Cocoo

Spectacled Parrolet

Lesser Elaenia

Because of these efforts, "Mesa de los Santos" has been granted the New Ventures Business Competition Award for developing a promising business that promotes environmental and social responsibility in Latin America. "Mesa de los Santos" is the only coffee in Colombia to be granted this ultimate award for ecological coffee. Social responsibility carries an equal or even greater importance than quality and sustainability. The company creates well paying jobs assuring health, education, and social security for the inhabitants of the region, improving their living conditions. "Our organic coffee, ‘Mesa de los Santos’ has demonstrated that environmental consciousness, social responsibility and profitability can be combined to construct a successful enterprise. This is an authentic gourmet coffee, which, thanks to its flavor and delicious taste, has turned into one of the most appetizing coffees in the North American market," said Oswaldo Acevedo. Experts agree that the quality and flavor of "Mesa de los Santos" is superior. Its high quality is the result of a natural production process on a Colombian coffee farm including constant land recovery, improvement of the environmental setting and comprehensive community development (its differentiating hallmark and principal priority).

"I have finally found the perfect environment to produce the coffee I will serve on the table of saints." Monsignor Francisco Romero

It was God's will that more than a century ago Monsignor Francisco Romero would discover the Mesa de los Santos, a blessed land in the coffee region of Bucaramanga, port of coffee entry to Colombia. And it was probably a holy vision that lead the priest to order men and women to pay for their sins by planting coffee. And that land began to produce coffee so special that the priest said that it was worthy of being served only at the Mesa de los Santos (The Table of Saints).

Father Romero is no longer with us, but thank heaven his coffee of divine flavor remains among us. It is Café Organico Mesa de los Santos. Following the tradition of four generations of coffee-growers, Cafe Organico Mesa de los Santos is grown 100% ecologically, as it was 100 years ago, protecting nature, with no chemicals, using natural fertilizers and spring water, and under shade on high altitude. Cafe Organico Mesa de los Santos is certified assuring the delicious natural flavor, aroma and purity of authentic Gourmet Coffee.


JIM’S TASTING NOTES
Colombia is famous for being a medium body, medium-to-high acidity coffee. Their two primary grades are Excelso, which are smaller beans, and Supremo, larger beans. The beans are divided by size using a screen method. For a bean to be called Supremo, it must be 80% over screen 17.

The "Mesa de los Santos" is a European Prep Excelso. This means it’s bean size is 15 and 16 screen; bigger than a regular excelso, but smaller than a supremo. Regardless, it roasts real full and even.

The cup offers a cocoa-ey character, and at times, hints of blueberry. Yup, blueberry; a coffee note generally noted in top Kenya’s or Yemen Matari’s.

There are other Colombian’s which, given "Mesa de los Santos" limited production, we do use on occasion, however ‘Mesa’ edges these out just slightly time and again. To that effect, we make every effort to secure as much of this coffee as we can, despite its high price.

Jim’s Organic Coffee™ introduces three new coffees! Ugandan, Ethiopian and Blend X aka Witches Brew. And they are, to say the least, remarkable! I’ll save the detail on the Ugandan and Ethiopian for future newsletters. Look for them wherever you purchase Jim’s Organic Coffee™.

Blend X™ aka Witches Brew started out as a house blend for a wonderful establishment called The Shipyard Galley located in my adopted town of Mattapoisett, MA (It takes generations to become a "townie").Mattapoisett is Wampanoag Indian for "place of rest". Needless to say, it is a very special place located on the Western shore of Buzzards Bay. Jan Sparks, proprietor, baker and chief bottle washer at The Shipyard Galley, wanted a blend that she, above all, enjoyed. I sent her French Roast. "Not strong enough." Sweet Love Blend. "Not strong enough." How about Italian Roast? "Not strong enough. Jan, I have a general public to deal with here. "See what you can do." From this litany comes Blend X aka Witches Brew. Why the name? Jan affectionately calls it Witches Brew. I call it Blend X because it is dark and mysterious, and it’s fun!

Blend X aka Witches Brew features our new African coffees; Ethiopian and Ugandan for their esoteric qualities. They are rounded out with Sumatra for oomph (technical term there) and Guatamalan for spice. We take it to a ‘Dark French Roast’. Darker than French but not as pitch black as Italian. One would not believe there was room in this world for another dark roast, but hey with these new African coffees to play with, I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do!


Jim's Organic Coffee™ - 21 Patterson Brook Road, West Wareham, MA, 02576
(tel) 1-800-999-9218
(fax) 1-508-295-7225

 
COPYRIGHT 2008 JIM'S ORGANIC COFFEE™ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED